Draft-tongues for agricultural implements.



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DIARTINWALTHER SHOGREN, OF LOUISVILLE, NEBRASKA.

DRAFT-TONGUES FOR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

To (ZZZ whom, it may concern Be it known that l, MARTIN VVALTHER Sno-GREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in thecounty of Cass and State of Nebraska, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Draft-Tongues for Agricultural Implements, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to draft tongues for agricultural implements suchas lister corn cultivators. In cultivating soil on side hills whenemploying a cultivator including a rigidly connected cultivator frameand draft pole it is impossible to regulate the line of draft so as tocause the draft animals to travel in the ditches and the cultivatingdisks to also properly follow the ditches. The drift of the cultivatorframe when working upon the hill creates an irregular line of draft andthe cultivation of the soil is detrimental to the plants, the draftanimals traveling too high upon the ridges and side hills which causesthe cultivator to assume a position angularly to the line of draft andthe cultivator disks and shovel are compelled to dig through the ridgeswith the obvious resulting disturbance of the roots,

Now, it is an object of the present invention to provide means wherebythe draft pole and the cultivator frame are adjustable relatively sothat the draft animal may be made to travel with such respect to thedrift of the cultivator as to cause the latter and the draft animal toproperly follow in the ditches, thereby eliminating the destruction ofthe ridges during the cultivation of the soil on side hills.

In the drawings, forming a portion of this specification and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views:F igure 1 is a top plan view of a lister cultivator showing theapplication of the invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sideelevation ofthe left cultivator frame and the draft tongue lookingoutwardly. Fig. 3 is a'perspective view of the combined socket memberand rack segment. Fig.4 is a perspective view of the lever segment.

The cultivator herein shown and which is provided with my improvedattachment is of the listed type, and comprises the parallel cultivatorframes 1 and 2, which are slidably connected with the frame bar 3. Eachframe includes the cultivator shovels 4c, the disks 5, and the adjustinglevers 6 and 7 op- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. October 11, 1912.

same.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

Serial No. 725,288.

eratively connected with the cultivator shovels and disks, respectively,and which are provided as means for adjusting the These levers allextend toward a common point, being preferably arranged in closeproximity to the operators seat 8, the latter being secured in anysuitable well known manner to the frame bar 3.

The bar 3 is attached to the body portion 9 of each cultivator frame,which includes the superimposed spaced plates 10 and 11, by means of theattaching brackets 12. A rack segment 13 is disposed between the spacedplates 10 and 11 and is fixed to the vertically disposed shaft 14mounted for rotation' in the said plates by means of the locking key 15,and is adapted to move in a horizontal plane. This shaft 1a is connectedto a controlling hand lever 16, which extends inwardly in suitableproximity to the operators seat 8. Each draft tongue 17 is movable atitsrear end between the plates 10 and 11 and has secured'to its rearextremity a socket member 18. This socket member is pivoted between theplates 10 and 11 by means of a vertically-disposed bolt member 19 and isprovided with an arcuate rack 20 interineshing with the segment 18, Thesocket'member 18 is enlarged horizontally as at 21, to providevertically spaced pairs of ears 22 and is provided therein with thevertically alined arcuate slots 23 adapted to receive a verticallydisposed limiting pin 24 extending between the body plates 10 and 11.This pin serves to limit the lateral sweep of each draft tongue ascaused by op eration of the'corresponding hand lever 16 in the properdirection.

The two draft tongues are connected adjacent the forward ends of thebody plates 10 and 11 by the connecting rods 25, whose meeting ends areflattened, as at 26, and

secured together by means of the bolts 27,

thus forming a comparatively flexible connection between the two drafttongues. The eyebolt 25 which rigidly connects each rod 25 with thecorresponding tongue has its head 25*, receiving the said rod, set intoa recess 26 provided in the tongue, and is secured in this position bymeans of a nut 26 on the upper end of the body portion of the bolt,which latter projects through a'vertieal opening in the said tongue. Asthe draft tongues are swung laterally with respect to the cultivator asa whole, the connecting rods 25 will be bent slightly at their fiattenedcentral connection, thus permitting the lateral deflection of the drafttongues, and yet affording efficient means for causing substantiallyequal motion of both draft tongues, and thus facilitating the movementof the same by the operator who grasps the hand levers 16 and throws thesame in the proper, opposite directions. Each draft tongue is providedwith the doubletrees 28 and the swingletrees 29 for the attachment ofdraft animals thereto.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that, during thepropulsion of the cu]- tivator, the line of motion of the same may bedeflected laterally by the controlling means provided, due to theprovision of the cooperating adjusting means for bothdraft tongues. Thedraft animals through such relative arrangements of the tongues, will becaused to travel so as to propel the cultivator in a proper courserelative to the rows of plants being cultivated.

When it becomes necessary to cause lateral deflection of one of thecultivator frames alone, it being understood that in this con--struction of cultivator the individual framesare slidably connected tothe frame bar, the hand lever 16 upon the desired frame is re leased andthe course of the draft animals attached to the corresponding drafttongue is changed so as to throw the tongue in the opposite direction tothat in which it is desired the frame should move. This action causesthe flattened portions 26 of the connecting rods 25 to become bent,th-us serving as a fulcrum for the lever constituted by i the drafttongue just referred to, whereby the desired lateral movement of theparticular cultivator frame is eifected. The flattened portions 26 ofthe connecting bars will thus be placed under tension, which will aid inrestoring the tongue to its normal position when the draft animalshitched to the said tongue are directed into the ordinary course oftravel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combinationwith a listed cultivator including companion frames connected togetherin spaced relation, a pair of coacting draft tongues, each being securedpivotally to one of the frames for swinging movement in a horizontalplane, connecting bars extending inwardly from their points of rigidattachment to said tongues and centrally attached to each other, thesaid bars being resilient and adapted to be deflected during movement ofthe draft tongues and adapted to aid in returning the same to theirconnected with each draft tongue by which both tongues may be caused toswing laterally in either direction and may be secured in theirdifferent adjusted positlons.

2. In combination with a listed cultivator including companion framesconnected together in spaced relation, a pair of draft tongues, eachtongue being pivotally con nected to one of the frames for movement ina: horizontal plane, an arcuate rack carried by each tongue, a gearsegment operatively associated with each rack, an adjustable hand levercarried by each frame and connected to the corresponding gear segment,and yieldable means connecting the tongues to cause correspondingmovement of both tongues upon operation thereof and being adapted torestore both tongues to normal position when released.

3. In a device of the class described. the

' combination with a listed cultivator including a transverse frame barand a pair of relatively spaced cultivator frames slidably connectedwith said bar, of draft tongues connected to said frames, one of saidtongues beingpivotally connected to the corresponding frame forhorizontal swinging move ment, and a resilient connecting rod extendingbetween the said tongues and rigidly connected thereto, the point ofconnection between the movable tongue and the said connecting rod beingdisposed in advance of the tongue pivot.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a listedcultivator including a transverse frame bar and a pair of relativelyspaced cultivator frames slidably connected with said bar, of drafttongues connected to said frames, one of said tongues being pivotallyconnected to the corresponding frame for horizontal swinging movement, aresilient connecting rod. extending between the saidv tongues andrigidly con nected thereto, the point of connection be tween the.movable tongue. and the said connecting rod being disposed in advance ofthe tongue pivot, and adjustable means for securing the movable tonguerigidly to its cultivator frame in difierent angularly adjustedpositions;

In testimony whereof 'I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN W. SHOGREN. 'Witnesses FRED W. ScnNAn'rER, WILLIAM OSSENKOP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ave cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

